It's that time of year where you might be scrambling to pull out an awesome dessert as the host of a family dinner. Or if you're a guest, you want to bring something more unique than the typical sugar cookie doused in red and green sprinkles. Well I have a great idea that could really impress your friends and family this holiday season: Arroz con leche (translated: "rice with milk"). It's pretty much the Mexican version of rice pudding.

All in all, it's a big bowl of deliciousness. 

It can be eaten as a hot dessert (which is what I prefer) or cold in the morning as breakfast. With only 5 ingredients, it's pretty easy to make. 

I searched google for a recipe that I thought looked familiar, but there are SO MANY versions of arroz con leche that I decided to make up my own. I don't know if it's "right," but it's simple and it tastes good, so I'm sticking to it. 

Gather your ingredients: (serves 8-10)

5 cups of milk

1 cup of short-medium rice

2 whole cinnamon sticks

7oz La Lechera (half can)

7oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (half can)

*optional 1/4 cup golden raisins

 

Now what?

I'm all for the super simple instructions, so I'm going to lay it out plainly for you. 

1. Pour 2 cups of milk in your pot, add cinnamon sticks, and add in your rice. 

2. Bring to a boil, then turn heat low so it will simmer. 

3. Let the rice cook and soak up the liquid. About 10-15 minutes.

4. Add 1/2 cup of milk and stir, letting the milk absorb into the rice. Let your liquid content get lower.

5. Repeat #4 until you have 1/2 cup of milk left. Stir occasionally.

6. Add your last 1/2 cup of milk, along with La Lechera & Sweetened Condensed Milk let it soak up while stirring occationally for another 5 minutes.

7. You want it to be creamy with some liquid to it, but not like a soup. The right consistency is a soft pudding-like rice. Similar to a risotto. Keep in mind that more liquid will evaporate as it cools.

8. As you let cool you can take out the cinnamon sticks, and stir in a handful of the white raisins.

*refrigerate the leftovers...if there are any.

There are so many versions that honestly you can adjust to your own liking. This dessert is good hot OR cold. It can be an after meal dessert OR breakfast. Let me know if you have a favorite passed down version. I'm always so interested in the other ways people make the same dish. 

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you enjoy lots of time with your family and friends!

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Photo from: Disney/Pixar

This Thanksgiving I was so excited to take the family to see Pixar's newest film 'Coco'. I first heard about it in October, when I saw an ad on a billboard while driving Elena back from ballet class. I immediately looked up the trailer (well once I got home...not while I was driving) and started reading up as much as I could about this new movie coming out. It was then that I decided this would be our holiday movie. It had the promise of being amazing. I was super proud that this was actually a thing, but skeptical, due to the possibility of them "messing it up" by making it super Americanized. 

Regardless, we went to the theater on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Now I can confidently say, I LOVE this movie so much, but here are the TWO main reasons why:

1. The main character is a great role model for my son. 

I go out of my way to make sure I empower my daughter. I'm always looking for books, movies, youtube videos, shows, anything that will inspire her in her talents and character. 

Sometimes I forget to do the same for my son.

When 'Elena of Avalor' came out last year I went a little crazy in my excitement that Elena not only had a Mexican Disney character that looked like her, but had the SAME name. 

My son doesn't usually mind, and even encourages Elena in everything she does, but I do go out of my way to tell Elena how proud I am of her, and it breaks my heart when he asks, "are you proud of me too mom?" 

So when I saw that Miguel, the main character resembled my son, I built up the hype for him. And this character did not disappoint. There have been many times Disney's representation of male roles is to be macho and more of a muscly tough guy. However, Miguel is a little boy who is passionate about following his dreams, shows compassion for his family and his stray pet. And, while he's strong, you can see the process he goes to understand the difference between right and wrong. The love he has for his family is true to Mexican family values, and that is who I want Elias to aspire to be. Compassionate, humble, passionate, and loving. 

2. The depiction of the Mexican culture around the holiday Dia de los Muertos is authentically amazing.

I was blown away by the color, and representation of the little Mexican town. Even in the Land of the Dead we see references to iconic Mexican artists. It was the little details that helps this movie reach several generations of the people who watch it. 

Especially in this political climate, the timing of this movie couldn't have been better. It's very encouraging and gives Mexican's pride of the culture that is being attacked in the media. I launched this new business to share more about my culture through art and stories. Since watching this movie, I've been even more encouraged and proud to have made this shift. 

I've found some great articles since Coco came out. People are realizing how representation matters, and how inclusion in hollywood has been huge. It's even inspiring to see how the movie 'Coco' came to be.

This is my current favorite animated movie, which is saying a lot because being born in the late 80's I've seen them all starting with 'The Little Mermaid'. 

Things to think about before seeing 'Coco'

It is a very emotional movie. I wanted to cry in the first 10 seconds of seeing Mexico represented so beautifully on the big screen. The whole story is about a family's bond even after someone dies.  The concept of death, specifically family member's deaths is the whole premise of the movie. 

SPOILER

The plot twist involves deception and murder. These thematic elements could be a bit strong depending on how your child processes things. My daughter Elena is extremely sensitive and empathetic. She cried through the last 20 minutes of the movie. Once the villain was revealed she could barely contain her empathy for Miguel, the main character. She sat in my lap and cried. I insisted she finished the whole movie so that she could have the piece of mind that it ended on a positive note. She also has a hard time thinking about death especially when it comes to family members (really, who doesn't) but still, week's after she's seen the movie, it's still hard for her to process it all. My son on the other hand, who is two years younger was perfectly fine the whole time and really enjoyed the movie. 

Let's take it back 20 years and talk about how I'm still traumatized from the scene where Simba watches his father Mufasa fall to his death. And come on, Scar blaming the murder on Simba, that's just cold. The Lion King is a movie I probably won't let Elena watch because she's so empathetic, but I also think the difference between people being vengeful and murderous is a little harder to take in than animals doing the same thing. So be prepared to possibly have some hard conversations with your kids about death.

All in all, this movie is AMAZING. I can't wait to watch it again, and again, and again. 

If you see one animated movie over the holidays, make it this one. And then leave a comment below to tell me what you think. 

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Have you been staring at that blank wall for far too long in your home? Maybe it's that wall in your entryway, but you've been waiting for the perfect piece to greet your visitors. Or what about that little corner of your office that you just haven't gotten around to filling.

Well I want to help.

I pour my heart and soul into every framed print I send out. Not only do I travel to Mexico to take the pictures in each collection, but I then come back and frame each one myself.

Here is how I put them all together.

First of all, I work with a local printer to bring you a high quality photo print. There's a lot of vibrancy in my photos and I want to make sure the paper and the ink are just right to make the images look their best; as if you're looking right at the moment I captured through a window.

Then I get to work framing it. 

There are several steps to putting it all together. I use a drill to make all the holes I'll need. Then I lay down the acrylic, place the mat in, insert the print exactly centered, cover all layers with a white board, and finally, put the spacers in to secure it all. We want the print to be snug. 

To finish the frame, I cover the whole thing with dust cover Kraft paper.

I then install the hardware you'll need to hang your piece. I choose to use a wire hanger because it's easier for you to make sure your frame is straight when you hang it.

I'm a one-woman show, but I'm really loving being able to be part of each piece of the production. It makes my perfectionist heart happy. 

Have you checked out the first collection from San Miguel Mexico? You might just find that piece you've been waiting for. And I assure you that it will be put together and sent to you with gratitude and love.

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I remember every year we would have a family "putting up the tree and decorating the house" party. My grandparents would come over on a Saturday and we would spend the afternoon and evening doing all things Christmas. 

My grandparents would bring over pan mexicano (mexican bread) and my mom would make Mexican hot chocolate. I never liked Mexican hot chocolate.

But now...it's the best hot chocolate I drink. And my kids agree.

Mexican hot chocolate isn't like the regular hot chocolate you might be used to. It's not as sweet and the ingredients are a bit simpler. This chocolate is actually the only hot chocolate that doesn't give the kids a stomach ache. 

So how do you make it?

First, gather your ingredients:

2 cups milk (serves 2)

Sauce pan

Mexican chocolate: I used Ibarra chocolate from Mexico, but there's also Abuelita which is a product of Nestle. You'll only need one tablet per 2 cups.

Knife

Cinnamon sticks

Molinillo or whisk or blender (A molinillo is a wooden instrument that creates the froth) 

Now what?

It's super easy really.

You're going to want to cut the chocolate into pieces. The tablets come in a circle, but you can cut them with a little bit of strength and your knife into triangles.

Heat the milk in a sauce pan. When the milk starts forming little bubbles, add in the triangles of chocolate. It should melt pretty quickly.

Have your molinillo* or whisk ready and start stirring until the chocolate is melted. 

Turn the heat low/off and keep whisking to make froth. The froth is key to making this taste amazing.

If you're a millennial like me, it will be faster to use a blender. You can pour the hot chocolate in a blender and blend on low for a minute.

Pour into your mug and top with a cinnamon stick. Some ingredients in the chocolate will settle to the bottom so use the cinnamon stick to stir.

Enjoy.

*how to use the molinillo: Put the barrel into the pan, and take the handle in between your palms and roll the handle back and forth. Let your hands roll from the top to the bottom of the handle, and then bring them back up. It's quite the tedious process, but will create some great froth.*

This is the best recipe I found with great directions, explanations and some recipe variations. I'm so glad I can share this drink with my family. <3

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I've been so encouraged by my friends and family as I launch this new business. I'm so grateful, because putting something out there is such an emotional rollercoaster.

I've been a wedding photographer for 9 years with the best partner I could ever ask for, my husband Michael. Hey boo! *waves* (he reads all my blog posts...or so I hope). I've loved building a business with him where we can hang out doing what we both love; documenting stories.

However, over the past year and a half I felt a complete shift in our personal life. As the political climate started to change, I started to realize I was living in this bubble. I felt shocked and sad as I saw micro-racist and sometimes straight up rasist comments being thrown around social media. The people saying these things would tell me I'm "One of the 'good Mexicans'" or "'You're not like them'".

But you know what, I AM Mexican, and I was tired of just nodding my head politely.

So I decided to find my voice through my camera. I'm great at reading people and documenting their stories, but I wasn't good at documenting my own. I really want to teach my children to be proud of their heritage, but in order to do that, I needed to know what it meant for me to be a Mexican-American first. I've been quiet, polite, and safe in my words for far too long, but I want to empower my kids in who they are.

I found a workshop led by two photographers from Canada who have been leading groups through San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for over a decade. This is the workshop if you're interested: San Miguel Photo Workshop. It was the best investment I've ever made in myself.

I had nothing else to do except take pictures and think. And think. And think. This was the first time I felt empowered by my camera. I felt like I had a talent and a responsibility. I needed to stop feeling frustrated and letting it harbor resentment, and actually be proactive.

*the pictures above were taken by other workshop attendees (obviously not me).

Just like I'm passionate about educating my children (I homeschool...but that's anther story), I'm equally passionate about educating others when it comes to Mexico, the United States' southern neighbor. In the US, Cinco de Mayo is a glorified "let's drink tequila" holiday, but the Mexican culture is much more than taco Tuesday, bottomless margaritas, and piñatas. I want to show the vibrancy, beauty, and HUMANITY, that is Mexico, one piece of art at a time.

Thanks for joining in this journey with me.

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I'm excitedly planning my next trip back in early 2018.

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